The following invention relates to a data projector with an internal printer. More particularly, though not exclusively, the invention relates to a data projector having a pagewidth drop on demand ink jet printhead and a source of print media located in the projector body.
It is known to make presentations to a group of people using a data projector connected to a portable computer. Using appropriate software, the portable computer can generate a sequence of text and/or graphic images for projection upon a screen using the projector.
The portable computer might also be connected to a printer. However, if a member or members of the group require a print-out of an image on a screen, printer driver software must be activated by the operator of the portable computer. Usually, a printer driver-associated window appears in the screen to report the status of any printing request. Such a window would be disruptive to the overall presentation as it would appear on the image being projected onto the screen. This would be disruptive, particularly if only one person of the group required a print-out.
The attachment of a separate printer to the portable computer would also be generally inconvenient as there would be separate cabling required between the computer and the printer and the printer would need a power supply, possibly requiring the use of an electrical double adaptor or the like.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a data projector having an in-built printer.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple means of printing a xe2x80x9cscreen dumpxe2x80x9d of a displayed image without the necessity of cabling in addition to that which would normally be necessary to operate the data projector with a portable computer.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means of enabling a printed xe2x80x9cscreen dumpxe2x80x9d of an image projected by a data projector without that image being altered by any printer-driver software.
There is disclosed herein a data projector for projecting images at a viewing surface, the data projector including a built-in printer for printing an image projected by the projector.
Preferably the data projector receives video information from a portable computer.
Preferably, the data projector includes an activator to activate a print request.
Preferably, the activator is a button on the data projector.
Alternatively, the activator is a keypad on the data projector.
Alternatively, the activator includes a signal receiver on the data projector associated with a remote signal transmitter.
Preferably the signal receiver and/or transmitter use infrared data transmission.
Preferably the data projector has means for storing a supply of print media therein.
Preferably integrated with and/or associated with circuitry in the projector is an analogue to digital converter to convert analogue image data into digital form.
Preferably the digital form of the image is stored in a frame store.
Preferably the projector also has built into it a print engine control chip receiving information from the frame store and sending that information to a printhead upon instruction from the activator.
Preferably a micro-control circuit controls information from the frame store to the print engine control chip.
Preferably the printhead is a pagewidth printhead such as that described in greater detail in our co-pending applications PCT/AU00/00594 and PCT/AU00/00578.